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Southwest Airlines holiday issues raise a bigger question: How did airline travel get so mundane?

Photo by Miguel Ángel Sanz on Unsplash

The holiday plans I had never came to fruition, as I was one of the countless people who was unable to get to my destination because of Southwest Airlines canceling so many flights.

Long story short: I showed up at the Wichita airport early Friday afternoon. The flight had first been reported to be delayed, then was on time, then was delayed again several times, until the gate agent made the announcement that the flight had been canceled.

When it comes to my situation, though, I was one of the lucky ones. I was able to leave the airport and head back home. For many other travelers, they weren't as fortunate.

The airline has had to cancel thousands upon thousands of flights for nearly a week. All of this goes back to the winter storm that hit a large part of the United States Dec. 22.

Unlike other airlines, though, Southwest has had far more problems with canceled flights. How we got to this point is a complicated situation.

Southwest, unlike most other airlines, utilizes a "point to point" system, in which airplanes and flight crews are flown to different locations around the country. This allows Southwest to have more flights available than an airline which utilizes the "hub" system, in which planes are in major locations and flight crews live nearby.

For Southwest, the intent behind its system is to act more like a "community" service, in that it goes out of its way to serve different cities. Compare that to United or Delta, which tend to base themselves out of the biggest cities and have limited service to smaller cities.

However, Southwest's system comes with a drawback: When flights are canceled because of weather or other situations, it's more difficult for the company to get other planes and flight crews to locations to ensure customers get to their destinations.

Couple that with the reports that Southwest utilizes an internal system to manage and staff flights in case there are cancelations and said system didn’t work as expected. The end result in that the company is overwhelmed in trying to serve customers during a busy time of year for airlines.

The issue doesn't seem to be limited to flight crews -- at least one report I've read notes that there was a shortage of ramp agents at Denver International Airport (that was the airport I was supposed to fly into, then fly out of, for my trip.

We've watched as our politicians promise that there will be action taken, but this isn't the first time there were major issues with the airlines. One only needs go back to the spring and summer when airlines all had major issues accommodating customers. (Patrick Smith, the man behind Ask The Pilot, does a good job explaining that situation.)

So while it's easy to pick on Southwest Airlines in this situation, the company's struggles this holiday season are merely one piece of the puzzle that represents the problems with air travel in general.

Sure, air travel is fast. It can be convenient and, sometimes, it can be inexpensive. But let's face another fact: Air travel is boring.

It used to be that you'd get excited about visiting airports across the country, riding in an airplane, perhaps looking out the window at the view, and likely getting plenty of comfort by friendly flight attendants.

Today, though, while you can still find plenty of people working the airlines who give you friendly service, everything else associated with airline travel has become so monotonous.

Passengers are regularly herded about from one airport to another. Shuffle through check in, shuffle through security, shuffle through the terminal, shuffle on board, packed in like sardines, then shuffle back out when you land. Repeat ad nauseum.

And while a few airports have character to them, most are dull and uninspiring, with less excitement than the waiting room at a doctor's office. Airplane seats are smaller with less leg room. Fewer amenities are offered to passengers, at least not without an additional fee. And we won't even get into the cost of food (maybe someday I'll tell you about the joke of a snack tray my sister and I split).

It's easy to blame what happened after the 9/11 attacks for changing everything, but I would say there's more to it than that. I agree with Patrick Smith that people have just gotten to the point that they simply got accustomed to everything.

In other words, let's no longer think about airlines as a unique experience but just simply a mundane means of getting from one place to another.

There are those who don't like the increased security (which, yes, is mostly security theater -- I've been guilty of thinking that it serves a purpose when it really doesn't) but I suspect more people who don't want to fly simply don't care for the experience.

For those that keep flying, they may not necessarily just accept everything as it is. They could be the types who don't like driving long distances, prefer the convenience of flying (at least, when things go as they're supposed to) or may even only concern themselves with cheap travel.

But I do think that we've lost something when it comes to air travel -- how it should be more than just a means to get from one place to another, but something that can be relaxing, even fun.

Of course, changing the flight experience won't prevent cancelations. However, improved customer service, better amenities at airports and on flights, and other things that can make flying a unique experience that might, at least, help customers deal with the stress that comes with a canceled flight.

As for the politicians, they need to do more than just point the finger at Southwest, but take the time to understand what is going with the airlines, how are they doing in terms of serving customers and examine policies in place to determine what is and isn't working.

I'll admit that, as I write this, I'm more tempted to just drive from this point forward. Truth be told, driving for a pleasure trip can be a fun experience and I have always enjoyed visiting new locations. And I still want to give Southwest some benefit of the doubt, even if I'm annoyed that I didn't get to spend Christmas with my family.

However, there's still something to be said for airlines, airports and what they provide for people as an experience, and in treating people like customers rather than commodities.

If we want to correct whatever problems there are, we may need to spend more time asking about the best ways to make the experience enjoyable, rather than a mundane exercise that's just about herding people like cattle.